Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, Robert Prosky, Christopher Lee, Howie Mandel (voice), Leonard Maltin (cameo), Hulk Hogan (cameo)
Directed by: Joe Dante
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Horror
1990

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates) are living in New York City, trying to put their gremlin ordeal behind them. This changes when Billy finds Gizmo in a genetic laboratory undergoing tests. Billy frees Gizmo, but he soon gets wet- spawning devlish gremlins, who threaten to overtake the world.

Review:

Tim: I had some difficulty with the idea of this movie. It came six years after the original, which is simply too long a wait. The first Gremlins was popular and fairly good because of its originality and uniqueness. I doubt there was anyone pounding down the doors for this long-delayed sequel, but here we are. My biggest problem with it was that I didn't really get why I was supposed to care about this movie. Sequels can't just be created to capitalize on the success of the previous film (sadly, far too many do just that)- they need to progress the story of the characters or the world in which the film inhabits. This film doesn't do either very effectively.

I do like that this movie is lighthearted and determined to be fun. It is silly, unconventional, and pays tribute to a number of other movies. Unfortunately, the movie takes all of this a bit too far. It is very difficult to take anything in this movie seriously because it is just so over-the-top and ridiculous. The first film was great because it effectively blended both comedy and horror elements together. This movie jettisons the horror elements, making this simply another disappointing comedy. I'm not sure why this movie decided to go towards comedy and away from horror, except to make it more mainstream and easy to digest by audiences. Whatever the reasoning, it just didn't work very well.

I appreciate that the film brought back Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, to give this franchise a bit of continuity. Neither is a great actor, but it was at least somewhat entertaining to see them again. I also liked the addition of Christopher Lee to the cast, although he didn't really add a whole lot to the film.

One of the major problems with this movie is that there is no real element of suspense. We know how the original film ended, and we expect that this one will end the same way. While the film throws in a few twists and turns, ultimately, there is very little surprising here. The only real difference between this film and the original (besides not being nearly as good) is that this film elaborates and focuses mainly on the gremlins. Here, the gremlins get into a genetics lab and transform into all different kinds of gremlins. We have spider gremlins, genius gremlins, vegetable gremlins, flying gremlins, girl gremlins, and more. I am not sure why we're subjected to all of these, but most of them are only marginally effective.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch felt like a somewhat pointless sequel. It didn't really add much to the story or the characters from the previous film. It has a few decent moments, but can't shake the feeling that it is a waste of time and energy. I didn't enjoy this movie very much at all.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gremlins, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Critters